


“Anything impressive catch your eye?”

by withMoxie



Category: Sanditon (TV 2019), Sanditon - Jane Austen
Genre: 1x02, 1x03, Canon Compliant, F/M, Missing Scenes
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2021-03-14
Updated: 2021-03-14
Packaged: 2021-03-22 13:02:32
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,686
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/30039120
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/withMoxie/pseuds/withMoxie
Summary: What if Mary witnessed Sidney and Charlotte’s encounter at the coves?Begins in episode 2 and continues through episode 3, all from Mary’s perspective.
Relationships: Charlotte Heywood & Sidney Parker, Charlotte Heywood/Sidney Parker
Comments: 6
Kudos: 52





	“Anything impressive catch your eye?”

**Author's Note:**

> Dialogue taken directly from ITV’s Sanditon is in italics.

Lady Denham’s pineapple luncheon had been quite disastrous. It was so sweet of Charlotte to try to smooth over the situation, but Mary doubted it would do much good. Perhaps she should make a visit as well. Indeed, it would take much effort to mend the strained relations between the Parkers and Lady Denham.

When Tom went in seek of Sidney at the Crown, and with the children down for an afternoon nap, she decided it was as good a time as any to walk to Sanditon House. Charlotte had not yet returned from there, so Mary expected to pass her along the way. Hopefully Lady Denham would not feel the two visits were too coordinated, but Mary really did not think the situation could be any worse than it already was.

It was a lovely afternoon for a walk, with the breezes coming off the coast. As the path neared the edge of the cliff, Mary believed she heard splashing. She knew the coves were a quiet, secluded place for sea bathing and wondered who might be down there at this time of day. She certainly hoped whoever it was was being careful; the current could be strong and one might easily be swept away.

 _“Miss Heywood. Am I never to get away from you?”_ She heard Sidney’s voice and approached the edge with trepidation. Oh my! Yes, her brother-in-law was most definitely enjoying the privacy of the coves.

Charlotte, Mary could see, had turned her back to Sidney and appeared to be trying to regain her composure. _“Mr. Parker, I assure you, you’re the last person I wish to see!”_ How shocking for Charlotte to be in such a position, and yet Sidney did not drop beneath the water to spare her discomfort. Well isn’t that interesting, Mary thought.

At that point a gust of wind obscured Sidney’s next comment, so Mary was unable to hear. Whatever it was, Charlotte sprinted away as quickly as possible on the rocky shore. It was hard to tell from this distance, but Sidney’s expression seemed a bit smug as he watched Miss Heywood depart.

Mary was torn about what to do. She could follow after Charlotte to see if she was alright, but she did not want to add to the young woman’s mortification by letting her know there was a witness to the scene. It was clear Charlotte and Sidney had been so focused on each other they had no idea she was watching from above.

In the end she decided to carry on to Sanditon House to have her conversation with Lady Denham. She would give more consideration to what – if anything – she should say to Charlotte and Sidney later.

–––––

As Charlotte descended the stairs the following morning, Mary noticed her eyes were fixed on Sidney’s portrait in the hall. Charlotte’s countenance was more pensive than usual, so Mary would need to be careful in how she phrased things.

_“Good morning, Charlotte.”_

_“Oh!”_ she said, startled, _“Good morning.”_ It appeared Charlotte was once again trying to maintain her composure after being caught looking at Sidney.

 _“Did you enjoy your walk yesterday?”_ Mary asked, as evenly as possible. _“I didn’t hear you come in.”_ She could have also questioned Charlotte’s failure to appear at tea last night, having taken to her room as soon as she returned home.

 _“Yes, uh…no…I…um…”_ she was clearly flustered thinking about the previous day and was trying to find a way to describe events. _“I went down to the beach to gather shells and time ran away with me.”_ An entirely accurate half-truth, Mary had to admit it was skillfully done.

 _“Anything impressive catch your eye?”_ Mary noted Charlotte’s stunned expression at that question and realized she should give the girl a safe way to proceed. _“Shell-wise?”_

 _“Oh! Uh…”_ She took another moment to decide how to phrase her response. _“No, I… came back empty handed.”_ Charlotte sounded more anxious than she should, if they were truly discussing shells.

 _“How disappointing.”_ Mary could scarcely believe she had managed to keep a straight face during the exchange. She turned away almost immediately, worried she would grin and give something away. Charlotte may have been empty handed, but Mary knew she certainly got an eyeful yesterday.

It was clear to Mary from the brief conversation that Charlotte had been affected by her encounter with Sidney at the coves, however there was no telling what her brother-in-law thought of it. She so wanted Sidney to find someone to settle down with and Charlotte might be perfect for him, as she already felt like a part of the family. Yes, Mary’s next step should be to try to ascertain Sidney’s impressions of Miss Heywood.

–––––

It took longer than Mary expected to be able to have a chance to speak with Sidney. First he was dealing with some new problem with Miss Lambe, then there was Dr. Fuchs’ ill-fated demonstration at Sanditon House, and then Old Mr. Stringer’s accident. Surely the planets were out of alignment in Sanditon!

Charlotte’s assistance with Dr. Fuchs was such a blessing. Though, as the lady of the house, it would normally fall to her to take charge of the situation, she was more than willing to defer to Charlotte’s calm manner. Mary had never done well with injuries, and hearing Old Mr. Stringer’s cries of pain from the next room was almost more than she could bear.

After the leg had been set, Charlotte went to fetch Young Mr. Stringer so that he could come sit with his father. Mary decided to go upstairs to check on the children, in case they were distressed by what they were hearing. When she was halfway up the stairs, the front door opened and closed again. Then moments later, it happened again. So much commotion; it was hard to know who was coming or going.

Seeing the children were playing happily with each other, she went to the window to look at the street below. There she saw Charlotte and Sidney deep in conversation, standing barely two feet from each other. Much as she wanted to eavesdrop on them, she knew that opening the window would draw their attention so she contented herself to observe only.

It appeared they were having a disagreement; Sidney was shaking his head at something Charlotte had said. She held her ground in response, not surprisingly, and even laughed at a comment he made. Sidney was watching Charlotte closely as she spoke, giving her time to say all she needed to. Was she convincing him of something?

He started to walk away, but turned around, as if remembering another matter he wanted to discuss. Sidney's stance when he returned to her was stiff, his hand on his hip. He also seemed to be having greater difficulty looking at Charlotte now. Perhaps he was talking about their encounter at the coves? The conversation ended with shy smiles on each of their faces, so yes, Mary surmised, that must be what they were speaking about.

As Charlotte returned to the house, she looked over her shoulder to watch Sidney walk away. Mary needed no more evidence that Charlotte was drawn to her brother-in-law. And, from the looks of things, Sidney might be open to pursuing something with Miss Heywood. That conversation was certainly longer than she’d ever seen him have with any other young woman. The fact that it was an informal conversation in the street, rather than one necessitated by a social engagement, was a good sign as well.

–––––

About an hour later, Sidney returned to Trafalgar House to let them know he would be in Sanditon another night. Tom had gone to see Lady Denham about Dr. Fuchs and Charlotte was visiting Miss Lambe, so Mary took the opportunity to finally speak with Sidney.

“I’m sorry you missed the coach to London,” she began, “but I’m also so glad you were here to help with Old Mr. Stringer.” While her husband was an expert at creating chaos, he was less adept at fixing it. That task usually fell to Sidney.

“There will be another coach tomorrow, Mary,” he reminded her. “You need not worry about it. London can wait another day.”

“Miss Heywood is certainly calm in a crisis, is she not? When our carriage crashed in Willingden, she took charge much the same way she did today.”

“Indeed. She’s a surprisingly capable young woman,” Sidney replied, his gaze turning toward the street where he had last seen Charlotte. “You were fortunate to crash where you did.”

“I know she hasn’t been staying with us long, but she already feels like a part of the family.” Mary wanted to make sure he no longer viewed Charlotte as a new maid.

“Tom says she’s been helping him organize his paperwork,” Sidney nodded at the pile of papers on the desk. “I suppose a helpful houseguest is preferable to hiring an actual assistant.”

No, that would not do. Sidney was trying to keep his distance from Charlotte by still classifying her as staff. “The paperwork is something I would normally help Tom with,” Mary countered. “I’ve just had my hands so full with the children and hosting Lady Denham for unexpected teas that most days the paperwork has not been a priority.”

“And keeping Tom calm, Mary,” Sidney added knowingly. “That takes up a good deal of your time too, I’d wager.”

“Of course,” she conceded. “Tom and I are very much a team, working toward our shared goals together. Having family like you and friends like Charlotte to assist us eases the burden. It also makes it all more enjoyable, having people we love to share Sanditon’s future with.”

Sidney did not immediately offer a response, taking a moment to ponder Mary’s words with a somewhat distant look in his eye. “If there’s more I could be doing to help you, Mary, I do hope you’ll let me know.”

“Actually, since your departure to London has been delayed, how would you feel about taking the children on a picnic? I’d promised them one today, but after all the excitement this morning I’m not sure I’m up to it.”

“I’d love to!” Sidney made toward the door to let the children know.

“The cook should have a basket prepared and the nanny will have blankets and whatever else the children need. I believe Henry said something about sailing boats on the river.” Mary laid out the plans she’d made before Old Mr. Stringer’s accident.

“You know I adore spending time with my nieces and nephews.” Sidney added, “A restful afternoon filled with their joyful smiles sounds perfect.”

Mary smiled as he headed upstairs to collect the children. He will make a wonderful father one day, even if he is regularly vexed in his guardianship of Miss Lambe. What he needs most is someone to support him on a daily basis like she does Tom. Then even the stresses of dealing with Miss Lambe would not seem as insurmountable.

An idea came to Mary that made her smile grow wider. Maybe when Charlotte got back from visiting Miss Lambe, Mary would ask her to fetch Sidney and the children home for tea....

–––––

A couple hours later Mary heard the front door slam and Sidney calling out for Tom. His tone was not a distressed one, so she decided to finish writing her letter before going to find out what was happening.

Not five minutes later, Tom and Sidney came to find her, with Charlotte trailing behind them. Mary had not seen her husband so enthused for many days, what with all the dramas that had played out in town recently.

As Tom started to tell her about the regatta, Mary looked at Charlotte and Sidney out of the corner of her eye. It appeared both were trying to contain smirks, making her unsure what to think about the situation. Tom continued to paint an image of the regatta for her then asked her opinion: _“Can you not see it, Mary? Is it not a brilliant notion?”_

 _“Positively inspired, my dear.”_ Despite the expressions on Charlotte and Sidney’s faces, she knew the response Tom needed to hear.

 _“It must be said that Miss Heywood deserves some credit,”_ Sidney interjected. Ah, that explains the looks. Tom was selling the idea as his own, when it had been Charlotte’s suggestion. Mary noticed how intently Sidney was looking at Charlotte while he spoke of her contribution.

 _“Oh, I merely provided the kernel of the idea. It is Mr. Tom who has brought it to life.”_ That Charlotte was allowing Tom to take the credit showed just how well she understood the dynamics of the Parker family. Tom thrived on being the visionary, being their leader.

 _“No, no, Sidney is right. It was you…that prompted me to have the idea.”_ Mary watched Sidney as her husband spoke. _“You are fast becoming quite invaluable, Charlotte. Whatever would we do without you?”_ Oh yes, Mary concluded, Sidney was definitely smitten.

Tom breezed from the room abruptly before Mary could say anything more about the regatta. At least she could smile about what she saw emerging between Sidney and Charlotte. Their time with the children had sparked the regatta, and possibly something more.

When Tom called to Mary a short time later, insisting on taking the children to the beach, she was initially exasperated; it had been such a long day already. But as she watched Charlotte working to get a coat on a particularly fidgety Henry, she realized this was another opportunity to nudge her brother-in-law closer to their houseguest.

“Will you join us, Sidney?” He turned to look in her direction. “Since you are leaving for London in the morning, it will be your last chance to spend time at the beach.” He still appeared hesitant, so she added, “And the views at sunset are most memorable.”

She glanced at Charlotte, who appeared to blush slightly at that comment despite trying to maintain her focus on the children.

“Certainly, Mary,” Sidney replied, looking now at Miss Heywood with a glimmer in his eye. “A walk along the shore would be most agreeable.”

–––––

Charlotte and Sidney followed behind her and Tom as they walked along the beach, the children running excitedly from one pair to the other. It was an idyllic family moment and, not only did Tom’s words reassure her, the idea that Sidney might one day make Charlotte an official member of the family pleased Mary greatly.

Taking the children’s hands, Mary steered them in the direction of the water to look for shells. After a few moments she realized Charlotte and Sidney were no longer behind them, having continued in a straight line, paying no attention to where the rest of the Parkers were. They once again seemed so focused on each other it was as though no one else existed.

Mary considered pointing it out to Tom then thought better of it. She knew his sole focus now would be the regatta. Even if she did suspect a romance developing in their midst, her husband was likely to be oblivious to it. Tom would hardly be of any help in the matter, anyway. His dreams for Sanditon tended to cause him to overlook things like romance.

She let Charlotte and Sidney get farther along the beach before encouraging Tom and the children to head in that direction. Might as well give them space to converse privately for a little longer.

When they got back to town, Sidney said goodnight to them outside Mrs. Griffiths' school. “I need to speak with Miss Lambe, to let her know I leave for London tomorrow.” He and Charlotte shared a smile, though Mary could not guess what prompted it based on that sentence.

Upon their return to Trafalgar House, Mary once again weighed her options. She wanted very much to talk with Charlotte and assess her opinion of Sidney, yet was wary of pushing too much. In the end, Mary decided to wait until morning. Perhaps she could bring the topic up at breakfast….


End file.
